The Gift
by Mitsukai Mizu Amaya
Summary: After defeating Father, they should have had peace. Two years after the battle, Edward begins to have strange dreams about the Gate and a gift. All that happened a year ago was not as it seemed, and the Elrics are called on to stop the coming chaos.
1. The Meadow

**Disclaimer: **FMA; the only manga to ever make me cry. And it did so not once, not twice, not three times… but four plus. I wish I owned it, but I only own my mind and Luna.

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><p>Prologue<p>

**The Meadow**

"_Better to never have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there."_

– _Anonymous_

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><p><em>Edward…<em>

_Edward…?_

_Edward Elric…?_

My eyes were open, yet everything was as black as pitch. My ears could hear, but not hear. I could taste but not taste, feel but not feel, touch but not touch. My senses were shut, yet more alive than they had ever been. Everything was here, yet this 'place' was empty.

Then all at once the world was clear. Vivid colors spread out across my vision; greens and whites, blues and reds, yellows, browns, pinks, golds and silvers danced around before coming together into shapes. I was in a meadow, tall grasses and flowers twirling in the wind around my hips. Fireflies and other particles moved through the air, and at the center of the meadow was a single tree. The meadow itself stretched on until fading into a white nothingness. In the center was a tree. Simple, with long branches shading the lush ground around it. Bright scarlet pomegranates stood out against the pastel greens.

I moved towards the tree, compelled by unbridled longing. I didn't know what I wanted, but this feeling devoured me, drowned me, and I couldn't get enough. A longing, a longing for what was in the center of the meadow. Not for the tree, nor the juicy fruit, but something else. What was there? I didn't care what it was… just that I needed it even more than air.

"_Edward…"_ The voice came from the center, from the tree itself. Pale arms reached out around the trunk, beckoning me forward. I could not see who it was; the tree hid them from view. But that voice, the overlapping cacophony of many voices, I knew it. From somewhere, I knew those voices. Old and ancient, speaking in dozens of languages at once. A single one grew more pronounced than the others; a young girl's voice, soft and shy. I had never heard it before, but it stuck out to me. Something told me she was pleading.

Then the girl's voice was gone, and the others grew louder, _"Edward… you're the first. The first, the first… The zero."_ The voices said as I drew nearer, _"Come to us, come to us and receive your gift. You have done what no other has, and have conquered the great Truth. You will be the greatest. We give you your gift. Take your gift, and be whole again. Find your gift, and be content again."_

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" I asked, only a few feet from the tree and the one behind it.

"_We are that which you have defeated in realizing our Truth,"_ They said, _"We are you, we are them, we are God, we are Truth, we are Universe, we are, we are, we are, !"_

The wind blew like a hurricane and my surroundings grew nightmarish and dark within seconds. Black tendrils shot out from the tree and grabbed my wrist. Everything faded and I was before the Gate, being drawn into the mass of eyes. The content feeling from before evaporated and nothing but fear grew in its place. There, in the center of those hellish smiles, were the eyes I knew so well.

"Welcome to hell," It said.

I screamed.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Short, yeah, but it's just the dream, so sue me. Actually, please don't. ;0; I need to pay for SacAnime and a Pride!Ed costume. Also, this short bit is an old fanfic that died out after these short pages I've decided to revive. Yup n.n


	2. Peace Shattered

**Disclaimer: **FMA; the only manga to ever make me cry. And it did so not once, not twice, not three times… but four plus. I wish I owned it, but I only own my mind and Luna.

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><p>Chapter One<p>

**Peace Shattered**

_It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace._

_- Andre Gide_

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><p>I threw myself up, gasping for air when my lungs decided to stop working properly. My eyes were wide and slowly adjusted to the inky blackness of the bedroom. I tried to hold on to the dream, but like water it slipped through my fingers. All I could remember was feeling calm and content, then scared out of my mind.<p>

Soon, confused was replaced by annoyance. Sure, I had been through a lot in my eighteen years, but I'd thought these damn nightmares were behind me. I was sick and tired of dreaming of something terrible every night and be so shaken up that I couldn't think straight in the morning. Why couldn't I have some peace, for once in my goddamn life?

I sighed and swung out of bed, trudging over to the desk chair to grab a discarded shirt. Light filtered through the windows, and I could hear Winry and Alphonse downstairs. A small smile played across my face as I decided to put the dream behind me. No use worrying everyone; it was only a dream, after all.

I sleepily wobbled from the room, yawned and stretched, then shuffled downstairs. Sure enough, as I turned the corner into the dining room and kitchen, I saw my brother as his new girlfriend cooking dinner.

Girlfriend. It was still weird to see the two of them together, especially when, two years ago, I had wanted Winry myself. Then I went East, and Alphonse went West. I lost contact with her in my research, but Alphonse didn't. He was always better at keeping up with her than I was. Hell, Alphonse returned in little over a year when I'd only been home a month. I know neither of them had meant it, but I'd lost her.

Honestly though, it didn't hurt. I knew Alphonse was sorry and Winry felt guilty – they always jumped from each other when I was in the room – but what made them happy was what I wanted. When Al first confessed to me in a letter just after returning home that he'd fallen in love with her, I was beyond furious. At the time, I was at the palace with Ling, and smashed quite a few precious vases in my rage. After calming down, however, I talked with Ling about it. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but sometimes distance makes feelings fade. I knew I couldn't just stand in the way of their happiness, and sent Al a letter saying it was fine, and Winry one telling her I was letting her go.

It still hurt a bit, like when I'd come home and saw their hands clasped in each other's, but it was getting easier. None of us had meant for it to happen, but it did, and there was not use dwelling on the past.

"Hey, Al," I grumbled, shuffling past them and darting for the freshly brewed cup of coffee.

He smiled brightly – I still couldn't believe his body was back – and dished me a hot omelet. I said thanks, and grabbed it along with a cup of coffee before plopping down on the dining room table.

"How'd you sleep?" Winry asked, leaning across the counter with the smile I used to find so damn attractive.

Still did, but she was strictly off limits now. "Nightmare," I grumbled before taking a sip. Sweet, sweet caffeine.

Both hers and Al's faces grew concerned, "Again?" I only nodded, and the two looked at each other before Al said warily, "Ed, it's not… uh…"

"Healthy, I know," I rolled my eyes and set down the cup, "But there's nothin' I can do about it."

"Well, you could-"

"I'm _not_ going to a shrink, Win," I blew out a puff of air to get the bangs out of my eyes, "It's nothing, really." They both cast worried glances at each other, and I felt a twitch of annoyance, "No, really, I'm fine."

"Brother-"

"_I'm fine_," I gritted my teeth together in frustration. Sure, they were only worried about me, but I'd just woken up and hadn't had my coffee yet goddammit. I dug into omelet as the others made their food and sat down in silence. Next to each other. Rather closely, I might add. It didn't bother me. Not even a bit. Al entwined his hand in hers.

Okay, maybe it bothered me a little.

I finished my meal quickly, getting up and cleaning the dishes just as a groggy Pinako came in and made a beeline for the coffee. I chuckled a bit before running my hand through my hair and throwing it into a messy braid.

Pinako glared up at me, "What're you laughin' about, pipsqueak?"

I swallowed the familiar rage that particular word sparked in me, mentally reminding myself that I had sprung up to six feet in the two years since the fight. Seven inches in two years; my body really did have some catching up to do. I couldn't help but let a "Who're you callin' pipsqueak, you old hag?" out, and soon the two of us were in one of our rowdy arguments again. Winry and Al just watched until the former burst into laughter, causing Pinako and I to snap a "What?" at her.

She shook her head a waved a hand in front of her face, "It's nothing. You two just make me laugh, that's all."

I let out a huff and crossed my arms, about to ask her exactly why she found our arguments so funny.

**BOOM.**

I almost fell over from the tremor that shook the two house. Winry fell out of her chair, and Al rushed to make sure she was alright. I dashed around them, out of the room, and down the hall to the back door. Tearing it open, I saw a cloud of smoke rising from the forest. A sense of dread filled me; if that was the beginnings of a forest fire, than we were all in danger. I heard the others running after me, but I took off through the field around the Rockbell's in the direction of the smoke.

The others ran behind me, but I was the faster. I raced through the trees, even as they grew ridiculously thick, and finally came to another small field. Wildflowers of all kinds grew all over the place, some even winding up the large house in the center. The top was blow off, and shreds of wood and dust covered the rest of it. I hesitated for a whole third of a second before jumping up the front steps and forcing the front door open.

Then I stopped.

The house looked lived in, but far too clean to be normal. After a few seconds, I heard Al and Winry running up the steps, and stepped out of the way to make room for them. Scanning the walls, I saw paintings and beautiful drawings. No pictures though, which was odd. As I cautiously made my way down the hall, I saw medical equipment in some rooms. An oxygen tank, discarded pills, and the like. Then I turned the corner and saw an open door. It led downwards, and though part of it was pitch black, I could see light radiating from the bottom and bits of wood on the steps.

I looked back at the others, who nodded soundlessly. I went down the stairs as silently as possible, straining my ears for the quietest of sounds. The light grew brighter and had a distinct natural feel. As I neared the bottom, I heard the unmistakable sound of heavy breathing. Something in me snapped, and I dashed down the stairs. Someone was down there, and from the explosion, were probably hurt.

I froze and my veins turned to ice when I saw the truth.

A column had been ripped into the house from the basement. The morning sunlight filtered in unabated, illuminating the horror show for the three of us. Gore and grim caked every crevice, and I could barely make out the signs of a transmutation circle threw all the filth. There was too much gore to have come from one body. This was several. Good thing a smoky haze covered most of the basement; I felt my stomach churn from the bits I could see.

Winry gasped behind me, and I looked back to see her whirl into Alphonse chest. He hid her face from the sight and held her, and the familiar bubble of jealousy resurfaced. I squashed it quickly before turning back to the mist-covered gore. It began to clear up a bit.

In the center was a body.

My heart raced, and I dashed to their side. Gently, I picked her up and turned the girl over. She looked young, maybe Al's age, and completely naked. The girl was covered head to toe in blood and bits of flesh, though after a quick look over her, I sighed with relief. She wasn't injured.

"Is… she alive?" Al's voice shook and he came over to me. Winry was by the end of the stairs, trying not to puke.

I checked the girl's pulse and saw she was breathing fine, if a heavily, "Yeah. What the hell hap-"

Her eyes snapped open and stared up at me with a blank look. I was a bit shocked at her bright, light cyan pupil-less gaze, and only managed to sputter, "Um… I-"

"_Edward Elric_," Cold washed over me when she spoke. Something clicked in my head, and I recognized the thousands of voices coming from this frail girl. My dream, "_You who has conquered Truth has become worthy of the Gift. Take it now, and stop the chaos that is to come._"

Before I could stop her, the girl darted up and put a hand on either side of my head. She gripped me like a vice, and I couldn't see the room anymore. Thousands, billions, _trillions_ of images assaulted my mind. One after another, truths were being forced into my brain like before. I was being invaded and assaulted, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"_You have conquered Truth, so we give you the gift of Truth._"

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><p>I groaned and rolled over. My head hurt like I'd been on the receiving end of one of Armstrong's punches. I forced myself up, gripping my head like it would stop the ache – it didn't – and heard people rush around me. I looked between my fingers to see Winry, Al, and Pinako at my bedside, all their faces drawn with worry.<p>

"Uhh…"

"Ed!" To my surprise, Winry threw herself at me. She drew me in a tight hug for a moment, and I hesitantly patted her back. It was hard to keep my thoughts pure with her hugging me like this…

I gently pushed her away, and Al was next to hug me, "You scared us, brother."

Pushing him away too, I raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

"She spoke all… weird," Al said, looking away and struggling to find words, "And then she touched you, and both of you passed out."

"Is she okay?" I looked around. We were in my room, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Winry and Al exchanged glances before he spoke again, "Uh… she hasn't woken up yet, so we don't know."

I sighed, "Okay, better question; what the _hell_ happened in there?"

Again, the two exchanged glances. I groaned; if they didn't stop that I'd start calling the happy couple Winphonse. Al turned back to me and swallowed hard, "Well, it _looked_ like a human transmutation, but…"

I urged him on, "But…?"

"… it reminded me of the Amestris transmutation circle Father used two years ago."

My eyes widened. We had killed that thing and the rest of the Homunculi. It was gone, dammit! We'd earned our peace. I snarled and my hands clenched, "You don't think…?"

"I… I don't know," Al said. He looked to the left, where the guest bedroom was, "But I…"

The atmosphere in the room grew cold. Winry and Pinako remembered how it felt to have their soul ripped from their body. Al and I… we remembered the fight. How Father looked exactly like me when I fought him then. I knew he was evil incarnate, but to fight someone who looks exactly like you still hurts. Greed's sacrifice, almost losing Al, all of it.

"Roy called," Winry said after some silence. I looked up in confusion; what'd he want? "One of his subordinates received a call about the explosion, and he wants you and Al to investigate instead of the police of military."

"We're not dogs anymore," I scoffed, crossing my arms before turning to Al, "Did you tell him what you found?"

He nodded, "Yeah, and he said 'All the better for you two to look into it'."

"Lazy bastard," I murmured before swinging my legs out of bed, "Well Al, we should go then, shouldn't w-"

A loud _**thump**_ got our attention. I swung to the side, staring at the wall my room shared with the guest room. In the short pause that followed, something clicked in my head, "… she's in that room, isn't she?"

Al nodded once, and I took off. Tearing through the doorway into the next room, I saw absolutely nothing. The sheets on the bed were disturbed, but there was no sign of the girl.

"Where'd she go?" Winry asked from behind me.

I walked in cautiously, "The window is closed, so she didn't come through there…" I walked over to the bed and picked up one of the blankets that had fallen. My brow furrowed in confusion, and as the others talked and looked around, I scanned the room. Dresser, desk, chair, closet, bed. As Al leaned down to check under the bed, my eyes concentrated on the closet. I set the blanket down and slowly walked over to it; the door was ajar.

"Hello?" The others stopped and turned to me when I spoke. I moved carefully, approaching the closet like one approaches a wounded animal. When I was only a few feet away, I heard a whimper. I smiled softly, trying to reassure the girl, and got on my hands and knees in front of the closet, "It's alright."

My fingers curled around the edge of the door at a snail's pace, and I slowly opened it. A mess of white cried and scooted back as far as she could. Once the closet was open, I looked back and silently pointed for Winry to watch the door and Al, the window.

With a crash, I was thrown to the ground. The girl dashed passed me and lunged for the bed, furiously wrapping herself in blankets until all that poked out was her head.

"Uh…" I stood up, rubbing my back where it hit the ground. A bubble of annoyance grew, and my eye twitched. I was only trying to help the girl!

Now that I could see her clearly, I blinked in surprise. Her hair was snow white and spilled out so long that it fell over the sides of the bed, and her eyes were as red as blood. That, and her skin was so pearly white that it reminded me of Al when his body first came back from the Gate.

She looked beyond scared. The girl looked absolutely terrified, her eyes darting back and forth between the four of us. I sighed and cautiously made my way towards the bed. She squeaked and scooted back, her wide, scared eyes trained on me.

"Dammit, girl, I'm not some kinda monster," I grumbled under my breath, feeling that bubble of annoyance grow. Her head snapped up to me in surprise, and I decided to take a new tactic as I go the to bed. Slowly, I sat down on the edge, and she ducked down so all I could see was that mess of hair and her eyes, "My name is Edward. What's yours?"

She blinked, her face contorting in confusion. The girl opened and closed her mouth a couple times, making strange noises like she was trying to talk, but couldn't. I looked around at Winry, Al, and Pinako, "Will someone go get some water or something?"

"I… I will!" Winry said, a bit higher than normal, before hurriedly getting out.

The girl still made strange noises, until I managed to make out, "Πο…ιο… Ποιος εί…" Her voice was so low and soft that I had serious trouble hearing her, but it told me one thing. She didn't speak English.

"Shit," I sighed heavily before turning back to Alphonse, "She doesn't speak English."

"I know," He nodded, confused. We listened for a bit as she tried to speak again. It took at least a full minute for her to get a single, very broken word out. It was almost like her throat refused to form words.

Then Winry came back with a glass of water, and I handed it out to her as a sort of peace offering. The girl looked from the glass to me and back again a dozen or so times before a pale hand shot out from underneath the mess of blankets and pulled it inside. She took a few sips and tried to speak again, but the water didn't seem to help her diction.

I groaned and tried again. Pointing to myself, I said, "Edward."

The girl blinked and her head and hand came out of the top of the mount to point to herself, "E…dwa…" She coughed, and the four of us jumped a little, "Ed… wa… rd?"

"No," I shook my head and pointed to myself again, "Edward." Then I pointed to her, "You are?"

Realization dawned in her unnerving eyes, and I couldn't help but think that at least I could read her like an open book, "Lu…"

I raised an eyebrow, "Lu?"

She shook her head vigorously, "Lu… Lu… Luuuu…" Another heavy cough, "Lu… na…?"

I sighed. At least were getting somewhere, "Luna?" She nodded, and I sighed in relief before pointing at the others, "Winry, Pinako, Alphonse, or Al."

A pale finger pointed out at me, and she managed to say clearly, "Edward." Then she tried the others, and it was the same garbled mess as before.

"Well, at least she can say one of our names," Al said lightheartedly.

I rolled my eyes, "Win, can you get some paper and a pen?" She nodded and darted out again, before reappearing with the items. I took them and held them out to the girl, who only looked confused. I sighed again and demonstrated writing for her, and she seemed to get it. Her arms popped out of the top of the blanket mount, and she took them. She was having trouble holding the pen, and I couldn't help by laugh. It reminded me of the troubles I had when I was getting used to automail before I decided to screw it and learn how to write left handed.

I scooted a bit closer, and she froze. I held up my hands in submission, "It's okay, I won't hurt you." She seemed to calm down, and I reached over to help her hold the pen. After a minute or two, she got the hang of it, and began writing furiously in a language none of us knew.

"Hey, hey, we can't read that," I chuckled before softly taking her hands to make her stop. She looked up at me innocently as I took the paper away and drew a small picture, "Try that."

When I handed it back to her, she was off again. Stick figures, strange symbols, eyes; she drew a lot of things. After a bit of silence, I saw her drawing something I knew too well, and felt cold wash over me.

Over my shoulder, Al saw it too, "Brother, that's…"

"The Gate," I finished for him in shock.

And with that, our peace shattered.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> How was that? Hopefully I'll get to Nightingale next. I've just got an itch to write, ya know? n.n

**Translation:**

**Greek:**

Πο…ιο… Ποιος εί… - Wh… Who a… are…?


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